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Maine State LibraryDigital Maine
Conservation Newsletters Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
6-1-1990
Bulletin: Prepared for the Employees of the MaineDepartment of Conservation, June 1990Maine Department of Conservation
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Recommended CitationMaine Department of Conservation, "Bulletin: Prepared for the Employees of the Maine Department of Conservation, June 1990"(1990). Conservation Newsletters. 17.https://digitalmaine.com/conservation_newsletters/17
BULLETIN . Preparedfor the Employee~ o{'the Main~. Dep~rtml}nt of Conservation
June 1990 Commissioner's Column
Memorial Day visitors to Maine's forest, parks and lands helped us launch a new field season. The start of the season always reminds us that one of our department's strengths is field programs-this includes all of you in the field as well as those in the Augusta offices and support setvices who make it happen. Welcome to seasonal employees who have joined us for the summer. You play a key role in the department.
The quality of our programs is one reason why the department has strong support throughout the state. Public interest in our programs is high. We are visible. People associate our programs with a quality experience, and people know they can depend on us.
Field season also speeds up the pace in every program. We appreciate everyone's efforts to help keep the quality of work high during this busy period.
PLEASE REMEMBER SAFElY-no matter what your job. As you drive, work, or play, think and practice safety. Each year we have too many accidents and injuries involving employees. This not only creates hardship for the individual, it is costly to bureau budgets. Each of us has the responsibility to protect ourselves and others.
As we continue our efforts to meet the growing and changing needs of the public, we appreciate your dedication, professionalism, and pride in quality work. Ed Meadows
BPR Plans Training 'First' The Bureau of Parks and Recreation will hold a
"first-ever" training for park rangers and receptionists during the week of June 11. The ranger and receptionist training will be complemented by the Bureau's annual lifeguard academy during the same week. All three sessions will be held at the YMCA camp ip East Winthrop.
John Titus, Scott Woodruff and Tim Hall have setved as the principal organizers for the training. Over 200 bureau staff will be involved as trainers or attendees and will participate in sessions covering topics such as safety and maintenance standards, emergency procedures, effective public contact, interpretation, administration, rescue techniques, CPR use oflifeguard equipment, first-aid, historic site operation and the campsite resetvation system.
Voluntary Savings Prograp7 Update The program was established in cooperation
with employee associations to provide flexible work opportunities for employees, while helping acllieve necessary budget reductions. It provides employees with the opportunity to match their work schedules to personal interests. Participation in the program does not place active positions at greater risk of further reductions. We appreciate everyone's effort to consider the program and understand the program is not suited for everyone.
The deadline for application may be extended past May 31 to allow as many as possible to participate. Contact Will Harris at 289-2211 for information. We will make every effort to include all those who are interested. We will also do all we can to meet our budget obligations with as little impact on jobs as possible.
Conservation Note Book BPR and MFS staff recently worked with local
fire departments to contain and extinguish a 2-acre fire on Mt. Battle in Camden Hills State Park. Gordon Bell, Steve Vondell, Wimpy Burnham, Wendall Stairs, Gerald Murphy, Ed Holman and Andy Mendes participated in the cooperative effort. •• Harry Doughty ran 7.5 miles during the Law Enforcement Officers Torch Run for the Special Olympics in May. Harry sends thanks to all DOC employees who contributed $102 towards the Special Olympics held in Orono on June 9. •• The BPL, SERVE/ Maine Volunteer Program, and the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School are cosponsoring an international work camp to construct a hiking trail in the Mahoosuc Unit. The goal is to attract volunteers from around the world to work in the program. So far, people from Germany, France, Denmark, and Wales have applied. •• BPL has a new lessee at the Pineland Unit and the bureau plans extensive repairs to Pineland's barns. •• John Adamson, David Allen, and Scott Foster, LURC staff members, attended a seminar by the Oxford County Soil and Water Consetvation Setvice on erosion control and soils stabilization for road banks and shore lines. •• Fred Todd, LURC Planning Division Supetvisor, attended the annual meeting of the St. John River Advisory Committee, which he currently chairs. •• Kim Lynch, LURC Field Investigator, and Russell Beauchemin of the MFS held a training session on timber hatvesting standards for Georgia-Pacific employees. •• Bob Marvinney gave a talk on the MGS's map-making efforts and DOC's GIS at the Maine Library Association's Spring Conference in Orono in May. •• Bob Marvinney, Bob Johnston, Nancy Beardsley and Bill Duffy spent three days in Portage preparing drill core donated by Chevron Resources and Superior Mining from their Bald Mountain and Mount Chase e¥J>loration for shipping to MGS's core repository in Apgusta. •• Bill Cleaves, Frank Appleby and Joe P,fwers attended the 30-hour Occupational Safety apd Health Training Course in Houlton in May. This course was ~ven by the Department of Labor, Buroau of Labor Standards and designed for supeiVisors wJJ.o deal with workplace health and safety issues. •• Alvin Lane, Steve Barden and Bob Webb were recently commended for their excellent work spirit in completing several major repair jobs in Southern Region parks. According to Tim Hall, the three regional maintenance employees applied a problemsolving approach to complete projects efficiently while keeping costs down. •• Sally Doyle of BPR's Augusta o~'fice reports that the bureau's carry-in, carry-out policy met with success at state parks over the busy Memorial Day weekend. Parks staff across the state found a cooperative attitude toward the policy among visitors and no appreciable increase in litter. •• Cold May temperatures in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway brought some canoeists indoors, according to Tom Coon, Allagash Ranger at Churchill Dam. Tom temporarily opened the Waterway's historic boarding house at Churchill Dam to allow canoeists to warm up and dry their gear. •• BPR's Boating Facilities Division's recent work to upgrade the Sa co River boating facility in Biddeford culminated in a public opening and boating safety program on June 2. Richard Skinner and Ron Yates have been in charge of the project.
• Selecting the Most Qualified
The Department of Conservation seeks to hire the most qualified individual for every position, taking into account affirmative action goals and contract rights. To do so, it is hnportant that the selection process be designed to enable those responsible for hiring to make decisions which are objective, rational, hnpartial and fair. Here are some simple steps:
1. Know the job for which you are hiring. Have a written job description which describes and prioritizes duties of the position, special working conditions, hours, salary, etc. This will assist you in making your selection and help potential candidates know whether or not the job fits their interests and qualifications.
2. A) Establish necessary job qualifications for performing the job functions.
Example: For a job which requires the employee to operate a state vehicle, a Maine driver's license to operate that class of vehicle would be a necessary job qualification. The selected candidate must have the necessary job qualifications.
B) Establish desirable job qualifications for performing the job functions.
Example: It may be desirable for an applicant for a forest ranger position to have carpentry skills. However, carpentry skills are not required to perform the job of forest ranger. An applicant cannot be disqualified on the basis of not having desirable job qualifications.
3. Establish criteria for evaluating candidates' qualifications. Generally there are four categories in which most qualifications fall:
A) knowledge, skills and ability related to the job B) intelligence/ problem-solving C) motivation D) interpersonal skills/place in the work unit
The weight placed on this criteria should reflect the job qualifications. For example, if job knowledge and technical skills are the only required job qualifications, the most weight would be placed on the applicants' responses in this area (A above). If a job requires public relations work, more weight might be given to areas such as problem solving (B) or interpersonal skills (D).
4. Methods of evaluating a candidate's qualifi-cations include but are not lhnited to the following:
A) interview B) references C) testing/training D) education/experience E) work/writing samples
Job knowledge, skills and ability as well as one's intelligence or problem solving ability can be measured objectively through interview questions or testing.
Motivation and interpersonal skills involve subjective assessment on the part of those people evaluating candidates. References and interview questions are tools for making this assessment.
5. Other considerations in selection: A) Contract rights - some bargaining units, e.g .. OMS, have additional rights related to hiring, seniority, etc.
B) Affirmative action goals - in evaluating "substantially equally qualified" candidates, one must consider the department's goals for affirmative action related to the position.
If you have questions. contact Catherine Ward. AAO. A booklet. "Tips on Interviewing and Selection of Employees" is available. More detailed information on selection methods with a focus on interviewing will appear in the August Bulletin.
Personnel News Promotions:
John Polackwich- Park Mgr .. Ferry Beach Danny Reed - Park Ranger, Lily Bay Jay Mcintosh -Park Mgr., Damariscotta Lake Julie Flanagan- Park Mgr., Swan Lake John Cooke- Park Ranger. Reid Claudette Desautels-Forest Watchman to Ranger II, Gray
Les Thornton- Forest Ranger III to Ranger IV, Old Town Russell Beauchemin- Forest Ranger III to Ranger IV, Greenville Greg Hesslein- Forest Ranger II to Ranger III, Gray
Transfers Gordeen Noble- Park Mgr., Range Ponds in Poland. Arnold Martin- Escourt to Allagash, For. Ranger II Lance Martin- Musquacook to Escourt, Forest Ranger II Harry Doughty- Asst. Reg. Ranger to Dist. Ranger, Greenville Carol Aubin- Cook Hill to Cooper Tower. Watchman Bob Ross- Administrative Services to Storekeeper, Fire Control, Bolton Hill
Retirements Russ Horning, Asst. Reg. Ranger, S. Region, 6/30 (31 yrs.)
Bill Orcutt. District Ranger, Greenville, 4/30 (20 yrs.) Kendall Allen, Forest Ranger II in Old Town, 6/30 (19 yrs.)
New Rick Hellion-Forest Ranger II. Charles Platt- Forest Ranger II, Millinocket Garnett Robinson- Forest Ranger II, Meddybemps Courtney Hanunond- Forest Ranger II, Blue Hill John Roberts- Forest Ranger II, Greenville Robert Southard-Forest Ranger II, Old Town Robert IIVine- Aircraft Mechanic, Old town Terri Harris- Forest Watchman
Resignation Bob Alexander, Norway Bluff, Watchman.
Cooperation Gets Bridge Built on Time The Natanis Point Bridge at BPL's Chain-of
Ponds Unit was repaired just in thne for the busy Memorial Day weekend. The bridge, which had to be completely rebuilt after washing out this past winter, provides access to a popular campground nearby. Completion of the project was a cooperative effort that would not have been possible without the assistance we received from LURC, Real Property Division, and IF&W.
Tina Worme/1 to go to Russia Tina Wonnell. Assistant Team Leader on the
Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) Roosevelt Campobello International Park project. has been selected to work in the Soviet Union for a month as part of a conservation corps exchange.
The California Conservation Corps (CCC) is organizing the exchange, and Tina will be one of only two participants who are not from California. The group of 31 Americans will be in the USSR from midAugust to mid-September. They will work on historic restoration, natural spring development and ecological work in a national park, all near Moscow. A similar group from the USSR will be working in California.
Tina, who has worked with the MCC for five years, will be a senior at the University of Maine at Machias when she returns this fall.
Having been selected, Tina's next big challenge is to raise the $1,500 needed for air fare which is not being provided by the MCC, CCC or KMO (the Soviet counterpart).
